As with all fire protection systems, wet and dry risers should be maintained on a regular basis to ensure they are operating correctly and can be relied upon when they are needed.

Sureserve Fire & Electrical maintenance engineers have at their disposal a fully equipped test vehicle with on board pumping unit and a supply of stored water. Once an initial visual inspection has been undertaken and landing valves checked, the riser is pumped full of water before the further tests are carried out.

Upon successful completion of the test and inspection, a certificate of compliance will be issued for each riser in accordance with BS9990. Should any defects be found, a report would be raised along with a cost for the remedial works to be carried out.

Where do wet or dry risers have to be installed?

Approved Document B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations requires that any building more than 18m high, measured from the fire brigade access level to the top floor. When a building is over 50m then a wet rising main will need to be installed.

What exactly is a wet riser?

In a larger building, it can be difficult to ensure water for firefighting purposes is available throughout the entire building. As water is one of the best ways to fight fire, it is essential that it’s made accessible in buildings of heights greater than 18m in order to comply with part B of the Fire Safety building regulations. For heights over 50 m, a wet riser is necessary as the fire rescue services cannot pump water that high.

What exactly is a dry riser?

A dry riser is a vertical pipe that extends to the upper levels of a building. Sometimes this can be a system of pipes and valves reaching out to the upper storeys of multi-level properties, providing a service outlet on each floor.

The purpose of dry riser systems is simple. If there is a fire, the Fire Brigade are able to connect their hoses straight to the riser for immediate access to water on all floors. Helping to fight fires, dry riser systems are a speedy and highly effective solution. They deliver water quickly and put the fire service in a stronger, safer position to fight and control fires.